Earth's next supercontinent could trigger mass extinctions, says scientists
Scientists have modeled four potential future scenarios for Earth's next supercontinent, which could form in 200 million years. These models suggest that the arrangement of landmasses will drastically alter the global climate, potentially leading to extreme temperatures or mass extinctions.
Why it matters
Understanding long-term geological and climate shifts provides insight into the planet's future habitability and evolutionary pressures.
Home News World Sports Entertainment Science Royal Trending Health Videos Technology Science Earth's next supercontinent could trigger mass extinctions, says scientists Scientists have modeled four ways Earth's landmasses could reunite, and the climate outcomes range from tropical to catastrophic
Earth's landmasses move roughly 0.6 inches a year, about the same rate fingernails grow. It sounds negligible, but stretched across 200 million years, that drift is enough to reassemble every continent on the planet into a single new supercontinent, according to geoscientists who have mapped out exactly how it might happen.
Scientists have described four possible futures for Earth after the break-up of Pangea 200 million years ago. The first is called the Pangea, where the Atlantic continues to expand while the Pacific Ocean completely closes, causing the Americas to crash into an amalgamated landmass made up of Africa, Europe, and Asia.
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